The Roots of Materials Science in Argentina: Jorge A. Sabato´s Multifaceted Metallurgy Project

Abstract

As a contribution to the study of thematerials science in Argentina, this work set out to offer a synoptic image ofa project designed and promoted by the physicist and metallurgist Jorge Alberto Sabato (1924–1983) in the period 1955 to 1970, in which he held executivepositions at the Argentine Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA). Based on a conception that assigned a keyrole to: (i) the incorporation of science and technology in the fabric ofnational development; and, (ii) achieve autonomous technological capacity, thelong-term project that Sabato promoted from the CNEA was aimed at developing inArgentina: (a) “modern metallurgy”, that is, metallurgy as it had been transformedby recent scientific developments; (b) metals physics, as a specific area ofsolid-state physics; and, (c) metals technology for nuclear applications. Tothese ends, the project required, first of all, the training of scientists andengineers and the dissemination of metallurgical knowledge among themetallurgical community. But also, to achieve nuclear capacity, it wasnecessary for the local metallurgical and metalworking industry to incorporateknowledge into industrial practices. The work also accounts for Sabato´slong-term initiatives to promote research and disseminate metallurgicalknowledge in Latin America.